Annual beer consumption across Europe dipped below pandemic lows for the first time in 2025, according to data released this month, dropping lower in volume terms than in 2020.
In the EU’s 27 member states, total consumption fell by 3% to 2.9m hectolitres in 2025 compared to 2024, according to estimates from the Brewers of Europe’s 2026 report. When non-EU countries Norway, Switzerland and the UK are factored in, the continent saw an almost parallel year-on-year decline of 3.1% to 3.7m hectolitres.
The region’s consumption levels have been declining for three years, having risen in 2021 and 2022 on the Covid lows of 2020. Last year, however, finished below 2020’s 3.4m-hectolitre slump to hit its lowest level for six years..
The continent’s top-ten largest markets by volume were the same as in 2024. Spain overtook the UK last year to become Europe’s second-largest, behind Germany.
On the production side, the trend was similar in 2025, falling by 4.5% year-on-year and by 10.8% on 2019’s volumes. Germany, both the largest consumer and producer of beer in Europe, brewed 5.8% less than the year prior.
In her foreword for the report, Julia Leferman, the secretary general of the Brussels-based umbrella trade association, said: “The findings in this year’s European Beer Trends report, covering developments in 2025, reflect a reality familiar across much of the continent. While inflation has eased in many markets, households and businesses continue to face pressures that affect spending and investment … .
“These figures reflect a challenging operating environment.”
Non-alcoholic beer proved a bright spot in the findings, with EU volumes growing by 5.9% year-on-year and by 38.3% versus 2020. “No-alcohol beer now accounts for 8.2% of the EU beer market, equivalent to one in every 12 beers consumed,” Leferman added.
“This growth reflects both changing consumer preferences and the sector’s capacity to innovate while preserving the quality and heritage that define European brewing.”
Head here to access the Brewers of Europe’s ‘European Beer Trends Statistics Report’.
